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Community Organizers Pleased with White House Reaction to Raid and Pledge for Immigration Reform this Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by FIRM's Marissa Graciosa and OneAmerica's Pramila Jayapal
Monday, Mar 02, 2009WASHINGTON – Last week, 70 Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) agents in riot gear raided Yamato Engine Specialists
in Bellingham, Wash., resulting in the chained detention of 28 workers.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano ordered a review of the
raid and the White House followed by clarifying that President Obama
plans to pursue immigration reform this year. The following is the Fair
Immigration Reform Movement’s stance on the White House’s reaction to
the Bellingham raid:
“Community
organizers were quick to react to last week’s raid,” said Marissa
Graciosa, campaign coordinator for FIRM. “Hours after the raid,
grassroots organizations throughout the country had their activists
calling, faxing and emailing the White House to voice their
disappointment with seeing that Bush’s failed policies hadn’t ended
with his presidency.
“Fortunately,
our disappointment this time was quickly eased by the Obama
Administration’s reaction, which helped turn a very dark day for our
communities into a portal for a promising future. We are pleased that
President Obama has reiterated his campaign pledges to begin reforming
our broken immigration system this year.”
“We
are greatly encouraged by the White House’s statement acknowledging
that raids are not the solution, and that ‘the real answer to our
broken immigration system is to fix it,’” said Pramila Jayapal,
executive director of OneAmerica, a member organization of FIRM “These
are all great signs that President Obama is willing to lead our country
away from the failed, destructive policies of the past, and has the
political courage to guide us toward real, comprehensive immigration
reform.
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Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM)
is a coalition of grassroots community organizations nationwide,
including statewide immigrant rights coalitions, organizing networks,
faith-based groups, and low-income and other networks organized around
ethnicity or national origin, working on behalf of comprehensive
immigration reform and immigrant rights. FIRM is convened by the Center for Community Change.
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